Amazing 59lb Thames perch match catch

STEVE Dorn admits to being left ‘stunned’ by the near 60lb bag of perch he caught there on chopped worm at Medley on the Thames (pictured above).

The area is noted for quality perch, but no-one can recall anyone catching anything like the 59-10-0 the Drennan Oxford angler put together in the AT Winter League practice match.

The statistics of his bag beggar belief. It was made up of only 35 fish – an average of nearly 2lb per fish – and it included four over the magical 3lb barrier. Most observers believe it’s easily the biggest bag of perch ever take to win a match in the UK.

The amazing thing about the catch was that with a clear, almost still river and an easterly wind, not one of the 40 anglers fishing the match fancied it for even a double figure catch.

“I’ve fished matches for over 20 years and had some crazy days in that time, but nothing like this. It was just a magical day,” said Steve, who used to fish for Team Browning.

“The area is known for quality perch and chub which are growing fat on the crayfish population, but to catch 35 perch in a match for nearly 60lb is just phenomenal.”

Steve drew on the Green Bank six pegs above the famous Black Jacks swim. Because of the conditions, he set up a waggler as his main catching rig, but also a chopped worm rig to see if he could “snare a bonus fish”.

Fishing a whole lobworm with the end nicked off a foot overdepth, he had a 1lb perch first put-in. Next cast in produced a fish 2lb 8oz, and next put-in a fish of 1lb 8oz.

“My first seven put-ins produced seven fish for about 15lb. It was unbelievable. The float was simply shooting straight under, sometimes even before it settled. Steve Townsend on the next peg was just shaking his head in disbelief.